1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of wood, other cellulosic products and waste fabrics and the like and to fire-retardant materials which are added thereto. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a novel mix of ingredients that can be mixed with various wood, cellulosic and fabric materials during the manufacture of products therefrom in order to impart a high degree of fireproofing and stability thereto. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a novel process for the mixing of fireproofing ingredients to various wood, other cellulosic materials and fabrics during the manufacture of products therefrom.
2. Discussing of the Prior Art
There is a continuing and pressing need within the prior art to add a degree of fire suppression to flammable building materials such as wood, paper, other cellulosic products as well as fabrics. There is also a pressing need within the prior art to provide fire proof building materials and to achieve materials that are also stable, resistant to rot and decay and are environmentally safe to use by both the builder and the consumer thereof. These products include those made from waste wood and other cellulosic products and waste products such as fabrics that are mixed with other materials in order to form a sheet, tile, insulation or other building product. In fact, within some areas of the United States, building regulation codes require that most of the materials of construction have such fire retardancy. There is also a pressing need within the building industry to use waste wood and paper products in order to conserve valuable wood reserves. It is also desired to utilize waste fabric materials such as carpets and the like in order to save on the disposal problems associated therewith. Additionally, since it has not been determined that insulation materials made from fiberglass and the like are not harmful to humans when handled, there is a pressing need to find a suitable replacement therefor.
There are a host of ingredients that are used to impart some degree of fireproofing to some flammable materials. Many of these prior art ingredients are usually applied to these products as a solution of some sort after the construction thereof. Most of these ingredients do nothing more than impart a slight resistance to fire and hence are not widely used by the prior art.
In a previous patent issued to the same assignee (U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,548, Dec. 12, 1989) there is described a mixture of silicates and other additives that can be applied as a solution to various building materials in order to improve their resistance to fire. The materials of this patent show great promise as a fire retardant when applied as taught therein. The formulation is, however, somewhat complex and costly to apply and there is a continuing and wide-spread need to improve on the teachings of this patent. Additionally, since the formulations detailed within the scope of that invention required application to the building material after the construction thereof, there is a need to find a formula that can be applied within the construction of the building material itself, e.g. when a tile, panel or insulating bat is formed therefrom. With such a process, it will be possible to coat all of the ingredients of this material and not just the surface. Hence, it should result in a product that is more resistant to fire and is more stable and environmentally safe.